For the second time this postseason, nearly nine million U.S. viewers tuned in to watch the Mariners in a winner-take-all playoff game.
Monday’s Mariners-Blue Jays American League Championship Series Game 7 averaged a Nielsen-estimated 8.91 million viewers across FOX and FS1 (9.03 million across all Fox platforms, per Nielsen and Adobe Analytics), up 32% from the last ALCS Game 7 two years ago, which aired on the same networks in the same window (Rangers-Astros: 6.77M).
While Nielsen has changed its methodology to include expanded out-of-home viewing and “Big Data” from smart TVs and set-top boxes, those changes are unlikely to account for such a big increase.
Toronto’s win, which peaked with 12.35 million in the 10:45 PM ET quarter-hour, trails only Diamondbacks-Phillies Game 7 on TBS and truTV two years ago (8.99M) as the most-watched LCS game since Braves-Dodgers Game 7 in the 2020 NLCS — which despite taking place in the COVID bubble averaged 9.91 million on FOX and FS1 directly following a FOX NFL doubleheader.
It was the most-watched ALCS game since Yankees-Astros Game 7 on FS1 in 2017 (9.96M). That is despite the presence of the Blue Jays, whose Canadian audience is not included in U.S. Nielsen estimates. Game 7 averaged 6.0 million on SportsNet in Canada, bringing the combined audience up to 15 million.
The Mariners, who missed out on their first World Series in franchise history, ended up playing in the two most-watched games of this postseason prior to the World Series. Their ALDS Game 5 win over the Tigers had 8.59 million on FOX.
Game 6 on Sunday night averaged a 2.4 rating and 5.14 million viewers on FS1, flat in ratings and up 8% in viewership from the previous ALCS Game 6 two years ago (Rangers-Astros: 2.4, 4.77M). Compared to last year’s lone LCS Game 6, Mets-Dodgers in the NL, ratings fell 14% and viewership 18% from a 2.8 and 6.27 million. All three games aired in the same Sunday night FS1 window.
Game 5 last Friday evening drew a 1.9 and 3.95 million, down sharply from last year’s clinching Yankees-Guardians ALCS Game 5 on TBS and truTV, which aired in a Saturday night window (2.7, 5.73M).
Game 4 had a mere 1.5 and 2.96 million opposite NFL “Thursday Night Football,” per Programming Insider — marking the least-watched LCS game since 2020, and the least-watched outside of that anomalous year since the last time the Blue Jays made the round in 2016.
Rounding out the AL slate, Game 3 drew a 2.3 and 4.58 million last Wednesday — up a tick and 7% from a 2.2 and 4.30 million for Yankees-Guardians in a Thursday evening window last year.
As for the National League, last Friday’s clinching Brewers-Dodgers Game 4 averaged 4.5 million viewers across TBS and truTV — up from last year’s Dodgers-Mets on FS1 opposite “Thursday Night Football” (4.0M). The previous day’s Game 3 matinee drew a 2.1 and 4.2 million, per Programming Insider — down 28% in both measures from last year’s primetime Wednesday night Game 3 (2.9, 5.88M).
The Dodgers-Brewers series topped out at a 2.9 and 6.1 million for Game 2, actually the most-watched LCS Game 2 in eight years — since Cubs-Dodgers on TBS in 2017 (6.78M). The full four-game series averaged 4.7 million, unsurprisingly down from last year’s six-game NLCS on Fox Sports (5.6M) and also down from last year’s five-game ALCS on TNT Sports (5.0M).
Versus declined 8% from the previous LCS sweep (2022 Astros-Yankees: 5.2M), but increased 18% over the previous NLCS sweep (2019 Nationals-Cardinals: 4.0M). Both of those series aired on TBS.
